A long, strange journey...
Not too long ago I went through a lengthy process of trying to choose a nylon acoustic. Because I've played almost nothing but electrics my entire life, I thought I wanted a Yamaha NXR1200, or maybe a Cordoba Fusion. I quickly came to discover, however, that none of the guitars I really wanted to try were ever going to be available for me to test drive in any local stores, which only carry the lower-end Yamahas, Cordobas, and the like.
Relegated to trying those guitars, I soon learned that I preferred the Cordobas, because they had the fullest, most lively unplugged tone. The Yamahas had no acoustic volume at all, and I also discovered that I prefer more of a classical-style flat fretboard with a 50mm nut, as opposed to a fusion-style radiused fretboard with a narrower nut.
The problem there was that I still couldn't try any of the guitars I really wanted; namely, the Cordoba GK Pro Negra, the all-solid-woods upgrade from the GK Studios I kept playing at the various shops.
Long story short, I ended up buying a very nice, Spanish-built, all-solid-woods Cordoba thinline flamenco, the FCWE Reissue, which I really enjoyed. Eventually, however, its relative lack of low-end thump had me GAS-ing for something with a fuller tone, so I sold the thinline and ordered up a custom spec'd, all-solid-woods Pavan TP-30 with a cutaway, rosewood back and sides, and a cedar top.
Three months later the guitar arrived...with a six-inch crack right down the center of the cedar top. Apparently the drastic climate change during the trip from upstate New York to blazing-hot California was too much for that poor top to handle, and I sent the guitar back to Tom for a full refund. Using that refund money, I decided to go back to the one guitar I'd been wanting to try all along, the Cordoba GK Pro Negra, which I ordered up new from Sweetwater at a decent discount, considering it's not an open-box, blem, or some other type of discounted item.
Nope, this one is as new and flawless as can be...
Right off the bat, I noticed two things about its tone. One, it has all the bottom-end that was missing from the thinline Cordoba. Two, it sounds a lot more lively than the Pavan, and it has just as much low-end thump and sheer volume as the larger-bodied Pavan.
So, tonally, I'm thoroughly satisfied.
In terms of the build quality, I'm equally satisfied. I can't find a single flaw anywhere, inside or out. The Pavan had a blemish beneath the clearcoat on the body binding, in addition to the six-inch crack. This Cordoba is flawless. The neck had too much relief, but that was easily remedied with the truss rod adjuster.
Once I'd removed the relief, the action at the twelfth fret on the treble side was 6/64" (2.38 mm), and 7/64" (2.78mm) on the bass side. These are the same numbers I achieved with the FCWE Reissue, but with that guitar I'd needed to file down the saddle to get the action that low. Odd, because on this new guitar the saddle again looks like it can come down quite a bit, even though the string heights at the twelfth fret are already about where I'd want them. They're just really high further up the neck.
I will likely sand down this saddle too, which will result in very low action overall, and that ought to make what is already a great guitar even better for me. Other than that, there is nothing else to fix, alter, swap out, or anything else.
dkstott and Red_Label have long sung the praises for these Cordobas, and I think I will certainly have to agree. Every time I A/B a Cordoba against a similarly priced competitor, the Cordoba easily wins for me. Somehow, it always sounds and feels more lively, and I just can't find anything in the build about which to complain. Sure, I'd prefer Spain or California to China, in terms of where this GK Pro was built, but there really isn't any evidence of shoddy workmanship or inferior materials. If anything, I might say this GK Pro has slightly superior fit and finish to that FCWE Reissue, and I know the tuners work significantly better.
That's it, really, the China thing. That's my only nit to pick, and the overall quality of this instrument really does render moot any such complaints. I'd
feel better about it had it been built in Spain or California, but it wouldn't have been built any better. That's the bottom line, so I just need to get over it and take solace in the fact that this guitar cost me a lot less than it would have had it been built elsewhere.
It may have taken forever before I was able to try a GK Pro, but I'm glad that I finally made it happen. It sounds a bit fuller and punchier to me than the GK Studio Negra, and the electronics are supposedly a lot better, plus it comes with a nicer rosette and the hardshell Humicase, so I'm glad I waited for the all-solid-woods version.
This time, this one really is a keeper.